No More Excuses: Powering an esports squad of excuse makers
Client work
rhysedwards
In December, we helped Sky Broadband to create an eSports tournament that pitted real players against each other in the ultimate gaming environment, all powered by Superfast Sky Broadband.
Here, Senior Creative Rhys Edwards and Creative Andy Dawes take a deeper look at the No More Excuses campaign.
As the UK faced the onslaught of lockdown, people across the country were asked to stay at home. With nowhere to go, the nation’s demand for broadband surged, with usage doubling practically overnight; upending how we work and play from home.
Sky Broadband wanted to showcase their high speed broadband network’s ability to serve the nation during this trying time. To prove this, we went after the most skeptical audience possible; gamers. They demand unlimited downloads, low latency and 24/7 stability.
A community often at the bleeding edge of technology and connectivity, gamers were amongst the highest contributors to this record breaking data consumption. Online multiplayer soon became a hub for friends to reconnect, as people turned to gaming to maintain social connections.
To help Sky Broadband win over this audience with its super reliable, Superfast Sky Broadband, we partnered with Activision for the launch of Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War. We supercharged this partnership with a groundbreaking idea; a campaign called No More Excuses – an eSports tournament that pitted real players against each other in the ultimate gaming environment.
The premise Every gamer knows someone who can’t take a loss without blaming something other than themselves. Be it their squad, controller, pets or the most common excuse, lag.
Powered by super reliable, Superfast Sky Broadband, we set out to create the ultimate gaming experience. There were to be no more excuses, no more distractions and most importantly: no lag.
We knew we needed a pair of streaming giants to head-up each team, so we brought onboard Calfreezy and Vikkstar as team captains. Two dedicated Call Of Duty streamers boasting over 10 million followers between them on their Youtube platforms.
Next we hatched a recruitment plan to build squads of gamers to participate. We took to Twitter to ask our audience to nominate themselves or a friend who’s full of excuses. We sifted through hundreds of entries.
With our two teams of excuse-makers ready and raring to go, all we needed was the perfect setting. Activision came to the table with The Safe House – a purpose-built set based on the Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War multiplayer map, Miami. A 1984 Art Deco-insipred hotel filled with neon lights became the perfect backdrop for our livestream.
Finally, it was time for our two teams of excuse-makers, led by Calfreezy and Vikkstar, to go head-to-head. There was to be No More Excuses. We enlisted the support of CoD-caster Bricey and Sky Sports favourite pundit Chris ‘Kammy’ Kamara to provide commentary.
The tournament The No More Excuses tournament was simple – the first team to win three rounds takes the crown. Team Vikkstar got off to a flying start, decisively taking out the first two rounds, putting Team Calfreezy on the back foot. Round three was make or break for Team Calfreezy; if they lost this round, the tournament would be over. Fortunately for Team Calfreezy, they managed to hold onto the round and come out with a win, giving them confidence to take round four as well.
Vikkstar leapt up from his station and demanded that the final round was to be Search and Destroy – a mode he’s known for winning. In a tense showdown, Team Vikkstar narrowly took the lead and the final win they needed to be crowned Sky Broadband’s No More Excuses winners.
The result? Respect from our highly skeptical audience, the gamers. We received a whopping 88% in positive reaction to the livestream and in our highlights video. The well-balanced teams provided gripping gameplay, whilst Bricey and Kammy’s commentary drove the tension and emotion, creating an entertaining livestream. With more than 500,000 views on our highlights film, we generated 84m in impressions, driving reappraisal for super reliable, Superfast Sky Broadband.
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